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Where To Place Your Compression Pedal In Your Chain


blue
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I'm looking for a quick easy answer.

I recently had my pedal board set up or re-set. Everything works great now ( no pops, busses ect..) even my Soloman Overdrive is silent.

I'm just not sure where to place my compression.

Blue

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I place mine at the beginning, just after my pedal tuner, to smooth out the signal before it hits my other pedals . I've tried it at the end of the chain but it takes a lot of the attack out of my over drive and fuzz that way.

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Whereas I put mine at the end to try and keep the output reasonably consistent despite what I do to the signal with drive and effects!

I do have a combined compressor/noise gate though, so it sort of has to go there.

Whatever works for you really :)

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Good timing Blue, I have the same question. I sold my TC 450 which has a nice compressor built in and now I have an Eich T900 which doesn't so I've now got a Lehle Basswitch Compressor which I want to add my my pedal board. Most of the online advice is as already meantioned IE after the tuner however with the TC Head the compressor would, in effect, be at the end of the pedal chain....

I am minded to put it after the tuner but I'm open to any other thoughts.

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I saw a pro pedal board recently (can't remember who it was now though) who had both a tuner and a compressor at both the start and end of his signal chain!

Each compressor and tuner were different brands.

Apparently he liked to swap the compressor position depending on the song and other effects used.

Not entirely sure why there were two tuners as well - at first I thought maybe he wanted to retune if using particularly heavy tone shaping, like an octaver, but that seems a bit excessive so maybe it's just paranoia in case one failed, lol

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Any pedals that are affected by how hard you play (e.g. envelope filters, some drive and fuzz pedals) would be compromised by what a compressor does. However, it may be that the way the compressor affects those pedals is a sound that you like. It really is a try it and see situation but my preference is to have it after such pedals in the chain with everything else after the compressor. If you're using it for limiting it would most likely go last in the chain.

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Confusing, the EBS Multi-Comp is a nice pedal. Seems like there's no easy simple answer.

Seems like single coil PUs hit the pedals differently than humbuckers. Then there's the active pre-amp in my my G&L ASAT,also
an issue with pedals.

Maybe I should leave my board alone.

Blue

Edited by blue
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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1494930097' post='3299608']
Confusing, the EBS Multi-Comp is a nice pedal. Seems like there's no easy simple answer.

Seems like single coil PUs hit the pedals differently than humbuckers. Then there's the active pre-amp in my my G&L ASAT, also
an issue with pedals.

Maybe I should leave my board alone.

Blue
[/quote]

What order do you have them in at the moment?

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[quote name='linear' timestamp='1494930469' post='3299615']


What order do you have them in at the moment?
[/quote]

I'm not sure. Our sound tech just worked on the board and rearranged the chain. When he worked on it he didn't have my EBS Multi-Comp.

1.Wireless Relay Receiver
2.Tuner
3.Phaser
4.Distortion
5.Reverb
6.Bass Octave
7.Overdrive
8.Chorus

9.Delay ---------- GK 750 watt rb1001


Blue

Edited by blue
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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1494936152' post='3299707']
I'll try placing it after my tuner.

Blue
[/quote]

For the little that it's worth, I would put it after the tuner too, given the chain you posted above. If I'm using an 'always on' compressor pedal for tonal and/or envelope shaping that I set and then forget about, I'd want it before a distortion that gets toggled on and off.

I'd double check that the compression doesn't have any detrimental effect on the tracking of your octaver (assuming it's analogue,) not that I imagine it will.

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Personally any pedals that modulate the signal, envelope, octave, dirt I prefer compression after to just even out the spikes, otherwise first up is fine.

Of course you could run 2, beginning and end and flip between them depending on what you are using

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[quote name='Muppet' timestamp='1494917130' post='3299474']
I place mine at the beginning, just after my pedal tuner, to smooth out the signal before it hits my other pedals . I've tried it at the end of the chain but it takes a lot of the attack out of my over drive and fuzz that way.
[/quote]

Same, squashed signal to feed the OD.

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[quote name='tonyquipment' timestamp='1494961151' post='3300034']


Same, squashed signal to feed the OD.
[/quote]

I still don't have a functional handle on how to use my overdrive. There's always a signal drop off when I engage it.

Maybe I should use my MRX M85 Bass Distortion pedal as an OD?

Blue

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